Home Visit Hazards and Safety Recommendations
Healthcare providers confront particular dangers in terms of their own safety and health during home visits. They are often exposed to a range of life-threatening or possibly severe dangers.
Thankfully, though a number of serious safety hazards lurk around the average client home, most of these concerns are pretty easy to address. Learn quick and simple solutions for keeping yourself out of harm’s way.
What are these safety hazards and how can you prevent them?
- Violence
- Schedule visit during daylight hours
- Work in pairs
- Maintain behavior that helps to diffuse anger.
- Avoid behaviors that may be interpreted as aggressive.
- Keep an open pathway for exiting.
- Shorten the visit and leave immediately.
- Call your employer or 911 for help
- Report any incident of violence
- Ask the abuser to stop the conversation and leave the premises.
2. Drugs
- Discreetly but immediately leave.
- Drive to a safe location and contact the police.
- Go to a safe location to change clothes.
- Place dirty clothes in a plastic trash bag.
- Clean all exposed skin surfaces with soap and water.
- Wash any items carried into the home with soap and water.
- Don’t touch any surface.
3. Animals
- Wait outside until the pet is restrained.
- If an animal charges you:
-Stop until the animal stops moving; do not run screaming.
-Do not threaten the animal
-Back away slowly, do not turn your back.
- Do not approach sick animals.
- If you see fleas or other pests, discuss appropriate control measures with the patient.
- Wear appropriate clothing, tucking pants in socks or wear boots, repellents, etc.
4. Infectious Diseases
- Use appropriate personal protective equipment.
- Increase ventilation
- Train patients, family members and home visitors on proper cough etiquette, hand washing.
As fewer patients are admitted to hospitals and hospital stays become ever briefer, the medical complexity of home care will increase, as will the demand for home visits. GooZam Grow, as your learning tool, enhances your learning through modules that engage and assess your newly acquired knowledge and more. Subscribe now.
